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  • my favorite bit was how no one at microsoft actually understood their own licensing pricing. for decades, you could call microsoft for pricing and get different answer from people in cubicles next to each other or even from your own rep.

    it was as if they were making it up as needed.

  • As a shareholder (which I'm not), it's absolutely amazing.

    As a human being though... it's simple to look at the history of the company, from its inception based on nepotism and locking-down was hitherto the common good, to going from one place of monopoly (OS, app, cloud) to another (extending to whatever is trendy at the moment e.g XR with HoloLens, AI with OpenAI, etc).

    It's IMHO one of the very worst thing that could have happened to humanity in terms of cognitive empowerment. Apple is not far behind but in terms of locking up an entire ecosystem but Microsoft, sadly, is doing it better.

    To clarify what I mean is that Microsoft is the business embodiment of learned helplessness. Most people would shrug at the quality of software they provide, the price, etc ONLY because they are convinced, wrongfully so, that they are is no legitimate alternative. If users were actually able to chose, not being coerced into but properly chose, by experiencing alternatives, the World would be totally different. Instead of having computer users who feel an adversarial relationship to their devices, we would have a much stronger relation of "this is MY device" the same way a lot (not all) of people have a repair toolbox at home. They know they can try to fix something in THEIR home, even improve it. Most people understand it won't be easy, they might mess it up, but it's possible to try. Not in software, and that's entirely Microsoft "success". Maybe in an alternative reality others, like Apple, would have made that happen to, but in our reality I blame Microsoft, Bill Gates upbringing from his legal mindset father and well connected mother.

    We could have a world were users own their devices, have a challenging yet empowering relationship to technology, starting with software, and instead we have exploitative learning helplnessness. So yes, Microsoft is that bad.

  • Yes. During the entire history of MSDOS, Windows and Internet Explorer, there are so many things you can pick why Microsoft is bad. Now they even integrate Recall into Windows. I want to say that I always disconnected Xbox from Microsoft; and I'm not entirely sure why.

    The question of this post is a bit misleading, because it implies that someone could answer with "no". Better question (in my opinion) is "How bad is Microsoft?".

  • Working there is apparently pretty nice. Microsoft on the inside is not Microsoft on the outside.

    But regardless, terrible company with terrible products. Even if they didn't do anything shady, they still aren't great.

  • I think overall they are not better or worse than other tech giants. They try to be the platform for blank and thus to push competitors out of the marked, or lock it down so they can't enter. They try to extract as much money from their customers as they can, even if it makes the user experience worse. They push the boundaries of what the can legally do. They charge you, but you don't own anything.

    What really grinds my gears is how they try to force stuff on me that I don't fucking want. I feel like they are completely different in that regard than for example Google. I use Google Maps because I want to. I don't use Chrome because I don't want to. It's that easy. They don't ask me to reconsider, they don't make it super complicated to switch, nothing. I can disable any Google App and forget about it.

    To stick with the Google comparison, I also feel like Google informs me better and gives me more control regarding my data. This feels much more hidden on convoluted in MS products in general. For example I had no idea Office is basically spyware before reading about it elsewhere. In Google-land, they seem much more upfront about what they use and what I can opt out from (or in to).

  • I consider their new push for webapps in stead of traditional client as bad practice, its buggier and runs like absolute shit

  • I personally have no problem with people using Windows but I don't want it shoved down my throat. When people first boot their computer they should have the option to choose what OS to install (Windows, various Linux distros, and FreeBSD) and that choice should always be available in the bios.

  • 1. Monopolistic business practices to crush competition (Netscape, Java, web browsers, etc.).

    • Microsoft was found guilty of maintaining an illegal monopoly and engaging in anti-competitive tactics against competitors like Netscape Navigator and Java in the 1990s antitrust case.

    2. Illegal bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows to eliminate browser rivals.

    • The U.S. government accused Microsoft of illegally bundling Internet Explorer with Windows to crush competition from other web browsers. Microsoft was found guilty of this tying arrangement.

    3. Keeping useful Windows APIs secret from third-party developers to disadvantage competitors.

    • Microsoft allegedly kept useful Windows APIs secret from third-party developers to give an advantage to their own applications, though this was not a central part of the antitrust case.

    4. Embracing proprietary software and vendor lock-in tactics to prevent users from switching.

    • Microsoft has been criticized for embracing proprietary software and vendor lock-in tactics that make it difficult for users to switch to alternatives, such as their failed attempts to establish OOXML as an open standard for Office documents.

    5. "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" strategy against open source software.

    • Microsoft has been accused of using the "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" strategy against open source software to undermine adoption of open standards. This is also shown in the leaked Halloween documents.

    6. Privacy violations through excessive data collection, user tracking, and sharing data with third parties.

    • Microsoft has faced scrutiny over privacy issues, such as the NSA surveillance scandal and their handling of user data with Windows 10.

    7. Complicity in enabling government surveillance and spying on user data (PRISM scandal).

    • The PRISM surveillance scandal revealed Microsoft's complicity in enabling government spying on user data.

    8. Deliberately making hardware/software incompatible with open source alternatives.

    • Microsoft has been accused of deliberately making hardware and software incompatible with open source alternatives through restrictive licensing requirements.

    9. Anti-competitive acquisitions to eliminate rivals or control key technologies (GitHub, LinkedIn, etc.).

    • Microsoft has acquired many companies over the years, sometimes in an effort to eliminate competition or gain control over key technologies and platforms.

    10. Unethical contracts providing military technology like HoloLens for warfare applications.

    • Microsoft's $480 million contract to provide HoloLens augmented reality tech for the military drew protests from employees and criticism over aiding warfare.

    11. Failing to address workplace issues like sexual harassment at acquired companies.

    • Microsoft's failed acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard raised concerns about ignoring workplace issues like sexual harassment at the acquired company.

    12. Forced automatic Windows updates that override user control and cause system issues.

    • Microsoft has faced backlash for forcing automatic updates on Windows users, including major updates that have caused issues like deleted files and crashed systems. Users have little control over when updates install.

    13. Maintaining monopolistic dominance in productivity software and operating systems.

    • Microsoft has maintained its dominance in areas like productivity software (Office) and operating systems (Windows), making it difficult for competitors to gain market share. This monopolistic position allows them to exert control over the industry.

    14. Vague and toothless AI ethics principles while pursuing lucrative military AI contracts.

    • Microsoft's AI ethics principles have been criticized as vague and toothless in light of their pursuit of lucrative military AI contracts.

    15. Continued excessive privacy violations and treating users as products with Windows.

    • Windows 10 has been criticized for excessive data collection and lack of user privacy controls, essentially treating users as products to be monetized.

    16. Restrictive proprietary licensing that stifles open source adoption.

    • Microsoft's proprietary software licensing makes it difficult for open source alternatives to be adopted widely, as they have a history of undermining open source software and interoperability with Windows.

    This isn't even anywhere near everything.

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